Preparing to Receive Feedback

The purpose of Organizational Equity Practice’s (OEP) Feedback Loop Survey is to collect feedback about trainings from client partners and ultimately improve the client’s experience with the program’s services.

The feedback gathered in this tool also serves as a vehicle for centering equity within OEP’s practices and operational practices. The ongoing collection of feedback data from participants confronts issues of power within the contractor-client relationship by empowering their voice in creating change within the program.

The feedback presented in this report is a look into how well we are delivering our services to clients. Hearing this feedback can be challenging and difficult. Pay attention to your body as you read this report, as our physical reactions allow us deep insight into our own tender spots. Before reading further, take 5-7 minutes to do the following exercise, from My Grandmother’s Hands. (Menakem, Resmaa. My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. Central Recovery Press, 2017.)

Sit quietly and comfortably for a minute or two, breathing normally. Notice your breath as it enters your nose, your windpipe, your lungs. For thirty seconds, simply follow as it goes in and out. Then bring your attention to the bottom of your feet. Sense the ground beneath them, support you. Stay focused here for a few breaths.

Move your attention to your back, to the sensation of it pressing lightly against the chair. Feel the chair supporting you, doing what it was designed to do.

Now think of a person or a pet or a place that makes you feel safe and secure. Imagine you’re with that person or pet, or in that safe place. Let yourself experience that safety and security for a few seconds. Now check in with your body. Start with your shoulders. How do they feel? Relaxed or restricted? Closed or open?

What about your neck? Your jaw? Your major joints - your ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, and shoulders? Your back? Your sphincter? Your toes? Stay with the experience for a couple of breaths. Notice if anything arises or changes, such as a vibration, a sensation, an image, an emotion, or a meaning.

Now imagine the comforting person, pet or place is gone. Instead, there’s an angry stranger standing in front of you. The stranger’s arms are crossed and he or she is glaring at you silently.You look into the stranger’s eyes, hoping his or her expression will soften, but it remains unchanged. Check in with your body again. How do your shoulders feel? Your neck? Your jaw? Your back? Your sphincter? Your toes?

Gently, one by one, feel into all the places in your body where you sense constriction. Let your attention rest briefly in each one. Now send the angry stranger away. Bring back the comforting person, place, or pet. For several breaths, relax in the safety this presence provides. Now gently move your attention through your body, from your head to your toes, one more time. Feel into each spot where you sense softness. Stay with each of these for one to two seconds.

Demographic Information

Response dates of this report range from 2024-02-20 to 2024-07-16 and a total of 28 responses were collected.

Participants were asked optional questions regarding their race/ethnicity, gender, and role within their organization. Collecting demographic information from OEP participants helps to understand which communities are represented (or not) in the program and allow for disaggregation of data along these variables. The following charts provides visualizations of each of these identities.


Respondent Demographics - Race/Ethnicty


Plot of race and ethnicity data collected

Respondent Demographics - Gender


Plot of gender

Respondent Demographics - Organizational Role


Executive Summary and Findings

Areas for Celebration

Overall, the majority of participants shared that OEP treats them with respect, delivers content well, and creates inclusive spaces for learning. One key strength is our ability to create inclusive spaces where participants feel safe to learn and share. Processes like establishing shared agreements, differentiated learning, thorough discussion of information, regular check-ins, and variation in small group to whole-group discussions have created a safe and inclusive space for attendees. This is emphasized in the survey questions where 96% of participants felt that OEP staff usually or always treats them with respect, 79% of participants felt that facilitators delivered content very well or extremely well, and 68% of participants felt very comfortable or extremely comfortable to ask questions.

“The concept of consent permeated our times together. Every thing was thoughtful and respectful but also did not shy away from discomfort or challenging ourselves.”

“Establishing norms that respect participants while also pushing them to reflect and engage in new perspectives and any discomfort that comes from that. They also encourage sharing of this in various spaces only if and when people feel comfortable to do so.”

“The staff was always respectful of the various identities that were present in the room and helped us be more reflective about our personal identities and others identities.”

“They explicitly state if/when something is triggering to do whatever we need to take care of ourselves.”

“Breathe work released a lot of the tension that this topic brings up personally for me.”


Areas for Growth

In regard to areas of improvement, participants have noted that some discussions feel rushed, so allocating more time can help ensure that all voices are heard and that discussions are more meaningful. The timing of trainings is also a concern, as sessions scheduled towards the latter half of the day tend to result in low engagement and energy. Adjusting the schedule to hold trainings earlier in the day could help maintain higher levels of participation and enthusiasm. One participant also mentioned time management best-practices could also be extended to the pre-work that is sent to participants.

“I felt that there was not enough time for each small group discussion. Some of the small groups felt like we did not have enough time for a good in-depth discussion of all of the questions.”

“Maybe more structures around sharing ‘airtime’ or scaffolding so that when something occurs, it can be addressed in the room or a plan can be set in motion to address it later.”

“The time in breakout rooms for check ins were a little too long. i think about 3 minutes would have sufficed instead of ten.

Others shared that OEP could offer more engaging/variety of activities. One participant, for example, suggested the use of videos rather than having only discussion time.

“More engaging activities rather than only discussions- for example, showing us a video then having us analyze it or a video that explains the idea you are trying to convey.”


Survey Analysis

Question: How likely is it that you would recommend OEP to another organization looking for similar services?


The Net Promoter System (NPS) score is a metric that assesses customer experience and loyalty by measuring their likelihood of recommending a service or product. The score is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters to obtain the NPS score. For example, if 70% are promoters and 10% are detractors, the NPS score would be 70 - 10 = 60. The score can range from -100 to 100.

  • Promoters (score of 9 or 10): These are loyal and enthusiastic customers/clients who are likely to recommend the business. They act as brand ambassadors and contribute to positive word-of-mouth and growth.
  • Passives (score of 7 or 8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers/clients who are not as likely to recommend.
  • Detractors (score 0 to 6): Unhappy customers/clients who may not buy again and could discourage others from doing so.

The calculated NPS score is 10.7142857.

Interpretation of the NPS score:

  • Above 0: Good
  • Above 20: Favorable
  • Above 50: Excellent
  • Above 80: World-class

Question: What is OEP Good at?


Methodology

The following codebook was generated to analyze the two following open-ended questions.

Code/Theme Definition
Safety Comments regarding participant sentiments about feeling safe, included, and belonging.
Facilitation Comments regarding participant sentiments about facilitation activities, styles, and engagement.
Time Comments regarding participant sentiments about the utilization or management of time.


  • Participants shared that OEP is good at creating safe and inclusive environments for learning and discussions. Participants noted that facilitators allowed for discomfort around challenging perspectives, encouraged participants to share in safe spaces, and to think more critically around new content.
  • Participants shared that OEP effectively engages audiences with clear communication and thorough explanation of information. They noted that facilitators effectively shared information that could be easily understood.

Question: What could OEP do better?


  • Participants shared that OEP could improve interactivity and inclusivity by incorporating more diverse and engaging activities, clarifying norms, and ensuring breakout rooms are comfortable for all participants.
    • For example, one participant shared a level of discomfort because they were the only POC participant in the breakout rooms.
  • Participants shared that OEP could improve time management by providing more structured and ample time for breakout rooms and groups, ensuring sufficient time for reflection and discussion.
    • Participants noted that there was not enough time in small group discussion spaces and breakout rooms.
    • One participant also mentioned time management best-practices could also be extended to the pre-work that is sent to participants.

Question: Overall, how well has OEP met your needs?


A diverging bar chart was generated to display overall agreement/disagreement of responses to the question. A heat plot was also generated to display percentages for each response, mean, and standard deviation.

Question: How often do OEP staff treat you with respect?


A diverging bar chart was generated to display the frequency of responses. A heat plot was also generated to display percentages for each response, mean, and standard deviation.

Question: How well did OEP facilitators explain and deliver content?


A diverging bar chart was generated to display the frequency of responses. A heat plot was also generated to display percentages for each response, mean, and standard deviation.

Question: How comfortable were you to ask questions with OEP facilitators?


A diverging bar chart was generated to display the frequency of responses. A heat plot was also generated to display percentages for each response, mean, and standard deviation.

Question: What facilitation processes and/or tools were most helpful for you?


A bar chart was generated to highlight which facilitation processes participants felt were most useful to them.

Question: Has OEP helped you in any of the following ways?


A

Question: Most recently, what OEP services have you participated in?